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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: staff · dip · scale · cabinet · game · bank · mate · bass

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — a partner
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mate — a friend
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to sink
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mate — to breed
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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