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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — obliged
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cue — for pool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chest — a box
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — certain

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