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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — a measure
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — of water
  13. bound — tied together
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bound — certain

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