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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pass — a permit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bound — certain
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stand — for spectators

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