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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · arm · rock · drill · lean · tear · plane

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. plane — a tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — thin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — army training
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. drill — a practice
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tear — to rip
  19. drill — the tool
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lean — to bend
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. bound — certain

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