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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: lean · bound · tear · pass · shower · rule · chair · cabinet

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — to bend
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bound — certain
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tear — from crying

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