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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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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: leaves · scale · foot · net · rock · saw · mug · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — a stone
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rock — music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. net — for catching
  17. chest — a box
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mug — a face

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