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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 116 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: bound · lean · cold · pass · bank · rule · scale · file

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pass — a permit
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. scale — in music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bound — certain
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rule — government
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cold — an illness
  18. file — a document
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. file — a tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. lean — thin

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