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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · cell · hand · dip · ruler · spring · bound · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cell — a phone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spring — the season
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — in biology
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bound — tied together
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — certain
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. spring — of water

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