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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. root — of a word
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fall — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. root — the cause
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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