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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. mate — a friend
  6. club — a group
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — for sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — tied together
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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