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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: season · bound · jam · rule · hand · lean · scale · spring

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. scale — in music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — government
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spring — of water
  17. rule — a law
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — tied together
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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