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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: wake · scale · stem · chair · bound · kid · fork · bass

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kid — child
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bound — certain
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chair — a professorship

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