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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 120 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 · cell · hand · rock · ruler · lean · bowl · bound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hand — help
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bound — certain
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cell — in a prison

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