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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: lean · squash · leaves · key · racket · capital · bound · bark

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — obliged
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. squash — to crush
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lean — to bend
  10. squash — the sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. key — in music

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