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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: bound · lie · game · cell · deal · mine · saw · trunk

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — certain
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — obliged
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — the tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — to handle
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — belonging to me

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