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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: hide · ruler · fall · lean · hand · stem · band · bound

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — help
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fall — the season
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lean — thin
  21. band — a music group
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a ring

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