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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.

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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — a subject
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — a committee
  13. fall — the season
  14. board — to get on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bowl — to roll

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