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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bound — certain
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — a country
  11. season — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — letters
  15. tube — a container
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — tied together
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — of the year
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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