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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: hand · cell · lie · charge · season · object · scale · band

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — in sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. charge — electricity
  7. object — a thing
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a music group
  10. charge — in control
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — a price
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. object — an aim
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — in biology

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