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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cell · lie · lean · file · bound · arm · sharp · bark

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bound — certain
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lean — thin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bark — to shout
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — in biology
  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