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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — a group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — tied together
  14. root — of a plant
  15. club — for dancing
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. club — for golf
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — certain
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — of a word
  24. tear — to rip

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