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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: rest · field · scale · wave · chest · fan · mark · capital

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. field — farmland
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. scale — in music
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. field — for sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — a subject
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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