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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: stick · chair · row · capital · clip · scale · bank · mouse

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bank — of a river
  17. capital — a city
  18. row — to paddle
  19. clip — a video
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. row — a line

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