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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 116 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: race · stick · leaves · cell · wake · scale · game · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — size or range
  14. game — a match
  15. race — a contest
  16. game — wild animals
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — in music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — tied together

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