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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: chest · fork · shower · bass · season · cabinet · scale · firm

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fork — in a road
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — of the year
  9. firm — a company
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. firm — steady
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. season — in sport
  24. chest — a box

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