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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: pit · scale · branch · foot · fan · bat · land · field

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — for sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — in a race
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — farmland
  10. land — ground
  11. scale — in music
  12. land — to come down
  13. branch — a division
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. foot — part of the body

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