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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — to bend
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — thin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rash — a series
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — of water
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. leaves — of a tree

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