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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — to grow
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — certain
  17. fall — the season
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — to recline
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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