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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. season — of the year
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. craft — boats
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — in sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — for digging
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bound — certain

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