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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
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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: chair · key · scale · field · foot · rash · spring · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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 — a subject
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — low music
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. key — in music
  13. field — for sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — for weighing
  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