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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: stick · scale · field · current · bat · leaves · track · press

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — a song
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. current — happening now
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. field — farmland
  22. track — to keep track
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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