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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: cabinet · branch · lie · swing · cell · shower · bound · snap

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. swing — music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. shower — to wash
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bound — obliged
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — a phone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — a division
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — rain

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