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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: rest · bound · date · bat · leaves · press · rash · deal

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. date — the fruit
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — a series
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bound — certain
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rest — a break

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