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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: cue · rule · bark · ball · scale · trunk · bound · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — size or range
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rule — a law
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a great time
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — certain
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — in music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — government
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — for weighing

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