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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: land · cabinet · firm · mark · row · scale · capital · wound

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. firm — decided
  9. land — a country
  10. capital — money
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. firm — a company
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — in music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mark — a grade
  20. firm — steady
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — a trace
  24. scale — for weighing

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