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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: fork · bear · rash · bound · cabinet · ruler · straw · dip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — certain
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fork — a garden tool

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