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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.

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: saw · staff · leaves · spring · court · fall · mine · snap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. court — of law
  6. saw — the tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — a coil
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. staff — employees
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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