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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. clip — to cut
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. foot — a measure
  11. clip — for paper
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. clip — a video
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. current — of water

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