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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: mine · track · lean · fall · fan · leaves · bound · current

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. lean — thin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — tied together
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fall — the season
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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