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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bound — certain
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bank — for money
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — the season
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spring — of water
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — of a river
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cold — the Cold War

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