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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: mug · clip · fine · cell · rock · bound · root · scale

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mug — a face
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mug — to rob
  8. clip — a video
  9. fine — all right
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cell — in biology
  12. root — of a word
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. root — the cause
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fine — a penalty

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