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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fine — high quality
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — of a king
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bound — certain
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — thin
  22. chest — a box
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — all right

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