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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: arm · land · ruler · wake · tear · charge · bound · fall

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — ground
  6. fall — the season
  7. tear — to rip
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wake — a trail
  11. charge — a price
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — certain
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. charge — in control
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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