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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: chair · stick · rock · bass · scale · club · wave · content

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. content — happy
  9. club — a group
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — for golf
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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