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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 116 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: stick · wax · rest · cabinet · dip · bound · net · cell

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rest — a break

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