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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: bank · scale · cabinet · plane · lie · stick · kid · season

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — to tease
  18. season — of the year
  19. bank — of a river
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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