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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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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: chest · bay · ground · stock · land · leaves · bound · fall

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. land — to come down
  5. chest — a box
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. bound — certain
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — the season

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