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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: season · ruler · bound · rash · wind · branch · ball · scale

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. rash — a series
  12. branch — a division
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — certain
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — of a bank

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