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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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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 · bound · rock · cell · leaves · hide · mark · pit

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — the season
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bound — obliged
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — to pay attention

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