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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · rash · fine · pound · row · bound · leaves · cold

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. row — a line
  5. object — a thing
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — a series
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — all right
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — certain
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. object — to protest
  24. cold — an illness

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