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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: mark · fall · wound · tear · lash · bound · pop · trunk

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pop — soda
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — a trace
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — to drop

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