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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a document
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — a tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lean — to rest against

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