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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: chest · lean · scale · board · field · degree · pop · perch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. board — a committee
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pop — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — to get on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — soda
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lean — thin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lean — to rest against

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