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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.

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 · kick · stick · band · net · field · staff · perch

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — in sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a ring
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — a stick
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. field — a subject
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. net — for catching

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