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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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468
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: bowl · bound · spell · file · pound · stick · rash · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rash — a series
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — certain
  19. fall — the season
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — magic

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