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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: toast · bark · scale · shower · field · band · key · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — the arms race
  9. key — the most important part
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. field — farmland
  13. band — a music group
  14. toast — bread
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bark — to shout
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. field — a subject

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