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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.

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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 · saw · staff · face · court · bass · field · bulb

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. face — to confront
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — low music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — of law
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — employees
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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