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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.

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: file · roll · wound · foot · lie · bound · hide · content

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. file — a document
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. roll — a list
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. roll — a cake
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. content — the amount
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. foot — part of the body

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