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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: band · object · staff · scale · straw · rule · fall · cabinet

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. object — an aim
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — government
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. object — to protest
  11. band — a ring
  12. rule — a law
  13. object — a thing
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — in music
  24. fall — the season

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