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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. charge — a price
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — in control
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bass — low music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — the season
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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