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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. court — for sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — of a king
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — of law
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — in sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lie — an untruth

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