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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 120 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: stick · lean · ground · bound · rest · tear · drill · scale

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ground — a position
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — a break
  22. lean — to bend
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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