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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: cabinet · file · last · fall · chip · bear · bound · land

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — final
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — ground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — a country
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fall — the season
  22. file — a document
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — to come down

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