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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 116 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: club · can · scale · vault · field · face · row · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — farmland
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. can — a tin
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — part of the head
  9. club — a group
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — in music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. face — to confront
  19. vault — a safe
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. scale — size or range

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