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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 120 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: pop · rock · cabinet · mug · tear · leaves · saw · bound

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mug — a face
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — obliged
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — music

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