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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: mine · bulb · wind · arm · mark · chair · scale · hide

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. scale — in music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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