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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 120 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: cell · cabinet · mate · stick · ground · foot · bank · scale

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — to breed
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ground — a position
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — a partner

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