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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · cabinet · scale · lean · lash · spell · straw · bear

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. band — a music group
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lean — thin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a ring
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — in music

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