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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
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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: spring · kid · mark · land · leaves · bay · bound · chair

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kid — child
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — to come down
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. land — ground
  17. spring — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — the season
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. land — a country

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