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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.

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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: present · pound · craft · cell · saw · bound · foot · file

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — the time now
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — certain
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. pound — a weight
  24. saw — the tool

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