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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: fan · club · bound · bass · leaves · scale · rule · prune

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — in music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — size or range
  11. prune — to trim
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — a law
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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