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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · fall · rock · chair · fan · shower · bound · can

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — after costs
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rock — music
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bound — tied together
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — rain

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