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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: trunk · chair · deal · mug · cold · cabinet · scale · bank

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cold — an illness
  6. scale — size or range
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bank — for money
  10. scale — in music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bank — for money

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