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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 120 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: bay · leaves · land · arm · bound · stand · track · pop

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. track — a path
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stand — to bear
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. track — a song
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — soda
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pop — music
  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