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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — a break
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bore — to tire
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. march — music
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bound — certain
  20. march — the month
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rest — what's left

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