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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: staff · scale · deal · bass · kid · file · perch · cabinet

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bass — low music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — to tease
  18. scale — in music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — child
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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