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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. club — for dancing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. club — a group
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — obliged
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — to go away

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