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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 116 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: clip · mug · rest · bound · fall · cue · rule · spring

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — a law
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mug — a face
  18. rest — a break
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cue — a signal
  23. clip — a video
  24. rule — government

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