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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: arm · scale · tube · fork · coach · fall · chest · chair

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — in a road
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — a part of something

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