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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bound — certain
  10. present — there
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. present — the time now
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — to shout
  21. present — a gift
  22. bound — obliged
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. tube — the underground

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