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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: row · tube · cue · squash · scale · land · cabinet · bound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a line
  3. bound — certain
  4. row — to paddle
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — to come down
  7. scale — size or range
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. land — a country
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — ground
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — a container
  24. scale — for weighing

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