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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: clip · foot · coach · scale · prune · race · rule · cabinet

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rule — a law
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. clip — for paper
  13. race — the arms race
  14. foot — a measure
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — size or range
  18. race — a contest
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — humankind
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — a video

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