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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mark — a grade
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hand — help
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pound — a weight

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