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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 116 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: scale · ground · squash · field · stand · can · capital · rock

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — the earth
  7. can — a tin
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rock — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — a position
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rock — a stone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stand — to bear
  24. scale — in music

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