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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: stand · bear · chest · last · scale · field · mug · cabinet

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — to go on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — for sport
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — in music
  13. field — farmland
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mug — to rob
  16. last — finally
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. mug — a face
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mug — a cup

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