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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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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 · rash · lean · present · mine · scale · rush · chip

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. present — a gift
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — a box
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. present — there
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — thin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chip — for betting
  21. present — the time now
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — hasty

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