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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: scale · track · field · present · wound · key · cold · temple

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. key — in music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — for sport
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — a gift
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. key — for a lock
  13. present — the time now
  14. key — the most important part
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. track — a path
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — there
  23. cold — an illness
  24. field — farmland

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