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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — final
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spring — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spring — the season
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. leaves — of a tree

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