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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. capital — a city
  20. bound — tied together
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. game — a match
  23. bore — to tire
  24. branch — of a bank

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