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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: saw · squash · bound · staff · date · jam · leaves · lie

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — to crush
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bound — tied together
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bound — certain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. date — the fruit

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