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

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — a match
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. racket — a loud noise

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