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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 116 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: mate · wind · tear · cell · chair · bound · board · object

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a partner
  9. object — to protest
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. object — a thing
  15. mate — to breed
  16. object — an aim
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mate — a friend
  24. board — a flat piece

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