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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: fall · bound · nail · wound · land · mark · leaves · fan

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. land — a country
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bound — obliged
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — certain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mark — a grade
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — for a hammer

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