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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: bank · wound · scale · swing · chair · straw · cabinet · staff

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — in music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — a leader
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. staff — a stick

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