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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: scale · mouse · staff · rock · tear · cabinet · key · chest

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — a stick
  15. key — in music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — employees
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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