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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. fall — the season
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — ground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — tied together
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — a country

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