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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: scale · cabinet · rock · fine · fork · straw · chest · lean

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. lean — thin
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lean — to bend
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rock — music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — in music
  23. fine — all right
  24. fork — a garden tool

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