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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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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: file · chest · bound · cabinet · kick · ruler · fork · bark

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bound — obliged
  14. file — a document
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — in football
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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