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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: scale · snap · leaves · tear · foot · lean · hand · chair

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. scale — in music
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. snap — to click
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chair — a leader
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — size or range
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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