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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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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: bound · roll · file · bulb · cell · bore · saw · lash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — certain
  3. cell — a phone
  4. file — a tool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. file — a document
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. bore — to tire
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bound — tied together

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