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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: object · ruler · hide · stick · cabinet · scale · clip · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. clip — a video
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — size or range
  10. field — a subject
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. object — to protest
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. field — for sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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