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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 120 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: cabinet · straw · bound · board · rule · bark · scale · season

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — of the year
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. board — to get on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bound — certain
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rule — government
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a committee
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — size or range
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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