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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: can · toast · scale · mine · wake · cue · bound · stick

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bound — tied together
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — bread
  7. bound — certain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. scale — size or range
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. can — a tin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — belonging to me

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