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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: stick · game · scale · bound · rule · craft · band · jam

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rule — government
  3. craft — boats
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. rule — a law
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — in music
  11. craft — a skill
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. game — a match
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. band — a music group
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — certain
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. scale — for weighing

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