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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: chest · tear · cap · lean · bound · scale · wave · rock

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lean — to bend
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lean — thin
  9. chest — a box
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rock — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — certain
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — tied together
  20. scale — in music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tear — from crying

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