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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
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: club · scale · fork · field · staff · lean · mug · chest

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mug — a cup
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — for sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. club — for golf
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lean — thin
  18. field — farmland
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mug — a face
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — to rob
  24. staff — employees

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