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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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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: key · tear · lash · bark · bound · cell · bowl · wave

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — in music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wave — of the sea

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