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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 120 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: clip · cue · saw · rock · scale · straw · cabinet · chest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chest — a box
  3. clip — for paper
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — in music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rock — a stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — a video

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