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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: trunk · rock · cabinet · scale · saw · chest · capital · stick

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — money
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. scale — size or range
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — a stone

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