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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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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 · leaves · arm · rest · saw · bank · field · straw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bank — of a river
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — for weighing

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