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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — a stone
  11. court — of law
  12. bound — certain
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bound — tied together

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