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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: cap · stock · fall · net · lean · present · scale · bound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. scale — size or range

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