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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: wake · tear · hide · bound · leaves · rest · date · object

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — a thing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — certain
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. date — the fruit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bound — obliged
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wake — a trail

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