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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bark — to shout
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. land — ground
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. capital — money
  16. land — a country
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. saw — the tool

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