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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · leaves · staff · foot · bound · cold · ball · tear

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cold — not warm
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bound — certain
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a great time
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — animal skin

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