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

Word bank: bark · cabinet · lie · racket · tear · cell · saw · board

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — to recline
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cell — in biology

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