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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: cabinet · rock · spell · bank · perch · chair · ground · kid

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kid — child
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spell — magic
  16. bank — for money
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bank — for money
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spell — a short time

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