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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: wind · lash · fall · mate · stick · bound · saw · lean

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bound — certain
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lean — thin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bound — obliged
  24. saw — the tool

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