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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. band — a ring
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — to grow
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bound — tied together
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. date — the fruit
  15. game — a match
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bound — obliged
  23. game — a kind of play
  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