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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: lean · cap · cold · field · scale · mate · suit · vault

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — an illness
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — a subject
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cap — a lid
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — a safe
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. suit — to fit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cap — a hat
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mate — a friend
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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