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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: hand · cell · content · rule · leaves · spring · cabinet · bound

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — a law
  7. content — the amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cell — in biology
  11. content — happy
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — tied together
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spring — the season
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — certain
  23. rule — government
  24. content — videos and posts

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