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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 · bark · stand · bound · kick · content · tube · rest

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — in football
  3. bound — certain
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bound — obliged
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rest — a break
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — to shout
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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