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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: rock · leaves · mouse · chair · rush · land · wound · lie

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. land — a country
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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