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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: bark · mug · rule · bound · wind · leaves · pit · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bound — certain
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — a cup
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mug — a face
  24. leaves — to go away

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