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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
468
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: bound · press · mark · snap · fall · pitcher · tear · can

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tear — to rip
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — a publisher
  23. can — a tin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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