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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 · stand · deal · scale · foot · shower · clip · bound

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. bound — obliged
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — size or range
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. scale — in music
  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