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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: stem · pound · pitch · scale · chest · hand · object · mate

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — in music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — a friend
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pound — a weight
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — to protest

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