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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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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: scale · bear · wind · foot · toast · net · cell · kid

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wind — moving air
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — bread
  21. scale — in music
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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