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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: fall · bound · mine · court · hand · tube · leaves · file

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. file — a document
  3. hand — help
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — a container
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fall — the season
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. tube — the underground
  24. court — of law

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