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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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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: rest · chair · bank · clip · pound · scale

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pound — a weight
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — a video
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. clip — for paper

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