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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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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: key · leaves · field · bound · pass · perch · net · staff

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pass — a permit
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — after costs
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — certain
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. staff — employees
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. key — in music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — for catching

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