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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: lie · spell · stick · wave · foot · chair · cap · scale

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. scale — in music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spell — a short time
  12. foot — a measure
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spell — letters
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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