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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · chair · can · swing · stem · wax · field · perch

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. field — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — a subject
  12. swing — to play on
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — in music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. scale — size or range
  18. field — farmland
  19. swing — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com