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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: wake · chest · fall · net · press · bay · scale · field

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. field — farmland
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — for sport
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. press — to push
  19. chest — a box
  20. scale — in music
  21. fall — the season
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. scale — for weighing

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