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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · chest · chair · straw · jam · rock · bound · scale

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — a box
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — certain
  10. scale — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chest — of your body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bound — obliged

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