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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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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 · file · stick · lash · bound · cell · bear · board

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — certain
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — a committee
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in a prison

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