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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: wound · rule · foot · object · club · lean · jam · scale

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. scale — in music
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. lean — to bend
  13. object — to protest
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. foot — a measure
  22. club — for dancing
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. jam — in traffic

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