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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: band · wound · chest · chair · bulb · firm · bay · scale

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chest — a box
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. firm — steady
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. scale — in music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bulb — of a plant

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