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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: bound · fall · lean · arm · pass · mine · spell · bark

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. fall — the season
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lean — thin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spell — letters
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — to succeed

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