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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: cabinet · scale · field · ground · can · racket · stem · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a document
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — crushed
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. field — farmland
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — to come from
  17. scale — in music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ground — the earth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — a subject

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