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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ball — a dance
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. field — farmland
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — a subject
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. field — for sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fork — to eat with

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