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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: root · chest · ruler · pitcher · fork · scale · club · staff

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — in a road
  6. club — a group
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — of a word
  11. club — for golf
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — size or range
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chest — a box
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — the cause

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