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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. firm — steady
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. firm — decided
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — obliged

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