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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 120 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: lean · hand · capital · rock · chair · leaves · sharp · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. rock — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lean — thin
  14. capital — money
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bound — certain
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — to bend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. chair — a professorship

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