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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — the tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. craft — boats
  13. charge — a price
  14. spring — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — in control
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. spring — of water
  22. bound — tied together
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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