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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: field · pitcher · bark · mark · scale · cell · cap · rule

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — farmland
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. field — for sport
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — a law

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