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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. band — a music group
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a ring
  21. row — to paddle
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a line

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