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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · leaves · chest · chair · spring · squash · season · face

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chest — a box
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — to point toward
  15. season — in sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — a coil
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spring — of water
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — of your body

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