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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · clip · club · lean · cell · last · field · scale

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in biology
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rock — a stone
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — a subject
  8. clip — to cut
  9. last — final
  10. club — for golf
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. clip — a video
  14. field — farmland
  15. clip — for paper
  16. club — a group
  17. rock — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — a phone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lean — thin

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