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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: hide · field · branch · scale · bowl · pit · mate · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mate — a friend
  10. branch — a division
  11. firm — a company
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — a subject
  15. firm — steady
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. field — for sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. scale — in music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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