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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — tied together
  5. craft — a skill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fall — the season
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. craft — boats
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. drill — a practice
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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