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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chair · can · mate · spell · bat · scale · stick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spell — letters
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bank — of a river

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