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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — in sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — a country
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. land — ground
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a music group
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to drill

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