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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — thin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. leaves — lets stay

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