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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: bowl · mark · scale · can · hand · field · staff · rest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — for sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — in cards

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