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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: lean · bank · cell · craft · scale · chair · court · game

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — in biology
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — a match
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — for sport
  12. craft — boats
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. court — of law
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bank — of a river
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. lean — to bend

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