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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — obliged
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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