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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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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: pound · cue · stick · pop · bear · scale · chest · branch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. scale — in music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pop — soda
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — a division
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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