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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: toast · rash · leaves · bark · staff · wound · court · bound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — a series
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of law
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. bark — of a tree

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