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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: cabinet · lean · tear · mouse · mark · pitcher · lie · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lean — thin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bound — obliged

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