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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: stick · foot · cabinet · track · staff · cold · wave · scale

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — not warm
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — in music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. track — to keep track
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — with your hand

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