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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: foot · straw · leaves · rock · bat · wake · fall · bound

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bound — certain
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bound — tied together
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fall — the season

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