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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bass — low music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cell — in biology
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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