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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bound — certain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bound — tied together
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — ministers

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