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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — the season

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