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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: last · bound · field · object · lean · date · hand · bay

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. object — a thing
  4. date — the fruit
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. field — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bound — tied together
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. object — to protest
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. last — final
  18. object — an aim
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. field — a subject
  24. hand — in cards

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