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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: foot · leaves · club · bound · land · track · season · hand

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — help
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. club — for golf
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. track — a song
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — a measure
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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