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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: rock · bound · shower · saw · swing · chest · mate · scale

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — tied together
  3. shower — to wash
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. rock — a stone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. scale — in music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rock — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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