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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rock — music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. tear — to rip
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — money

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