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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. toast — bread
  3. band — a music group
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bear — the animal
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. chip — for betting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bound — tied together
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — a line

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