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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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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: lie · cabinet · bark · bound · wake · cell · ruler · dip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bound — certain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lie — to recline
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cell — in biology
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ruler — for measuring

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