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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bound — obliged
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — a series

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