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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spring — of water
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — the season
  18. scale — in music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — in football
  21. bound — certain
  22. mug — a face
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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