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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bound — certain

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