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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: shower · fine · lie · swing · bound · rock · saw · fall

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — a stone
  4. swing — in golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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