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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: board · pop · scale · prune · chair · deal · chest · can

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. scale — size or range
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — to be able to
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — a box

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