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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — to protest
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — an aim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — of water
  11. craft — boats
  12. bound — certain
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — a thing
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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