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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fall — the season
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — for a lock
  13. drill — army training
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. key — the most important part
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bound — certain
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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