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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.

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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: tear · bound · scale · mine · clip · firm · cabinet · pitch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitch — completely
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — a company
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. firm — steady
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. tear — from crying
  22. firm — decided
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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