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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: tear · perch · lean · fan · ruler · bound · rule · coach

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — certain
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — government
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. tear — to rip
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rule — a law

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