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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: rest · bound · hand · lie · net · firm · bank · cabinet

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rest — a break
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. net — after costs
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — certain
  10. firm — a company
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — help
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — for catching
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — steady
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  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