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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 120 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: cabinet · scale · bulb · stick · chest · fall · track · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a song
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. firm — steady
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. firm — a company
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fall — the season
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — in music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — a path

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