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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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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — a tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bound — certain
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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