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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: wound · deal · scale · object · stand · cell · lie · bound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — a phone
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — a thing
  23. scale — in music
  24. deal — an agreement

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