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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. fall — the season
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — certain
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tear — to rip
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. content — the amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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