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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: field · jam · press · wake · scale · spell · fork · bowl

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. field — for sport
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — a subject
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spell — letters
  24. scale — in music

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