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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: present · firm · bound · hand · object · fall · wound · cell

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bound — obliged
  3. object — a thing
  4. fall — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — tied together
  8. object — an aim
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. present — there
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. firm — steady
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. hand — in cards

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