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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: scale · pop · wake · bear · saw · field · mine · roll

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — a cake
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. roll — a list
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. field — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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