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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 · row · snap · nail · mark · chest · staff · wave

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — in music
  5. mark — a grade
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — a line
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — a box
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mark — a trace

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