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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: content · cold · current · bound · lie · saw · drill · fall

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. current — happening now
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fall — the season
  10. cold — an illness
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bound — obliged
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — not warm
  17. content — the amount
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fall — to drop
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — to drop

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