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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: bound · fall · cell · stick · track · tube · wound · temple

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fall — the season
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. wound — an injury

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