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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 116 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: scale · fall · band · hide · chair · kid · dip · pound

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. band — a ring
  5. kid — to tease
  6. band — a music group
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. kid — child
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — the season
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fall — to drop

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