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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: chest · board · charge · rock · ball · scale · stem · clip

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — a box
  4. ball — a great time
  5. clip — a video
  6. chest — of your body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — a committee
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — to get on
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stem — to come from
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. scale — in 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