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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: deal · bank · straw · scale · roll · ground · cabinet · chest

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. scale — size or range
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — a box
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — to handle
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bank — for money
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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