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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: fall · court · lean · plane · object · pitcher · content · bound

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. lean — thin
  3. content — happy
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — the season
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. court — of law
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — an aim
  15. bound — obliged
  16. content — the amount
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of a king
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. object — to protest

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