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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — certain
  19. fall — the season
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — to roll

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