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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: fork · bat · bound · craft · leaves · row · fall · tube

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. row — to paddle
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — the underground
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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