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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: chip · bark · scale · season · date · lean · arm · field

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — for sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chip — for betting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — farmland
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bark — to shout

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