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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · file · bound · cabinet · kid · bat · bark · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — certain
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. firm — a company
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. firm — steady
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. firm — decided
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a tool
  24. dip — to sink

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