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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: rush · bound · wound · object · date · rest · leaves · kick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — an aim
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. object — a thing
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — certain
  23. kick — in football
  24. object — to protest

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