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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: straw · wave · kick · rule · face · bound · pop · scale

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. scale — size or range
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kick — in football
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — obliged
  24. scale — in music

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