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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: craft · pop · press · last · bore · board · fall · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pop — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fall — the season
  10. press — to push
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — final
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bound — certain
  16. bore — to drill
  17. craft — boats
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bore — to tire
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — to go on
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — finally

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