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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: bound · club · fall · kick · hide · stem · foot · tear

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — for golf
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kick — in football
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — from crying
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — to come from
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. club — a group
  24. kick — a thrill

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