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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: mug · last · scale · straw · chair · key · wave · wind

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — final
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. scale — in music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wind — to turn a key

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