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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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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: staff · wake · rule · scale · cap · object · bass · pop

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — to protest
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rule — government
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pop — soda
  13. rule — a law
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pop — music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — the fish
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. object — an aim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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