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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: bark · stick · cold · object · mate · cue · bound · scale

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. object — to protest
  5. cue — a hint
  6. object — an aim
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — a partner
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — a thing
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cue — for pool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bound — certain
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — in music

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