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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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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: cabinet · chair · branch · scale · rest · sharp · face · wind

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — a division
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. scale — size or range
  8. face — to point toward
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. face — to confront
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rest — what's left

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