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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. leaves — to go away

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