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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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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: cell · arm · lean · cap · pass · bound · tear · fall

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bound — obliged
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — the season

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