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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — a box
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — certain
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — ground

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