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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bound — certain
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — finally
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — money
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. root — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. capital — a city
  23. last — final
  24. season — in sport

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