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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. band — a music group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. court — of a king
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a ring
  15. firm — a company
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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