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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: pound · key · stick · scale · patient · trunk · ruler · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — in music
  7. chest — a box
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. key — the most important part
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. scale — in music
  24. pound — for dogs

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