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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
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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: chair · board · hand · scale · bank · key · wake · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wake — a trail
  3. scale — in music
  4. board — a committee
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — for money
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — size or range
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. board — a flat piece

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