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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tear — from crying
  24. foot — a measure

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