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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: leaves · band · bound · fall · cap · rule · wound · coach

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a ring
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bound — certain
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — government
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — the season
  21. band — a music group
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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