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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 120 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: mine · content · cabinet · rest · deal · bound · cell · lash

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — certain
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — to handle

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