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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: hide · scale · rock · mug · tear · wake · chair · last

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — final
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. mug — a face
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. last — finally
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — a leader
  24. last — to go on

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