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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 120 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: bank · content · field · bat · mug · scale · spell · kick

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a face
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — in music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — letters
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kick — in football
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. spell — magic

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