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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: kick · staff · field · scale · arm · mate · band · straw

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. scale — in music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — for sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — in football
  13. staff — a stick
  14. field — a subject
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a ring
  18. staff — employees
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. band — a music group
  22. mate — a friend
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. arm — a part of something

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