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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: hand · wake · pit · pound · fall · bound · lean · bank

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lean — thin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fall — the season
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — for money
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — certain
  24. pound — for dogs

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