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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: chip · cell · scale · wake · club · bear · rush · fall

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cell — in biology
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wake — a trail
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — in music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cell — in a prison

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