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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — the season
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — magic
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — a container
  18. bound — certain

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