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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cap — of ice
  24. leaves — to go away

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