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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: ruler · rest · pitcher · bark · field · hide · scale · arm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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