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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 116 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — the season
  7. row — a line
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — electric
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. march — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — of water
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. march — the month

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