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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. march — music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — steady
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. firm — decided
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — to recline
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lie — an untruth

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