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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: ruler · file · lie · tear · bound · net · bark · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lie — to recline
  12. file — a document
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. net — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. file — a line of people
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a 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