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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: pop · chest · bank · game · trunk · scale · pitcher · staff

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — for money
  23. game — a match
  24. staff — employees

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