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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · object · chair · cabinet · spring · bark · scale · bound

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — certain
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. object — a thing
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bark — to shout

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