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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: bound · lash · content · stick · cabinet · pop · tear · rule

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pop — music
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rule — a law
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. content — the amount
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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