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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: bark · fall · bound · lie · wind · track · kick · ruler

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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