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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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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: cabinet · wound · leaves · court · race · bound · wake · plane

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — an injury
  5. race — humankind
  6. bound — obliged
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. plane — a tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. court — of a king

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