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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — tied together
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — the season
  24. staff — a stick

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