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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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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: present · bark · lie · cell · firm · bound · dip · swing

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bound — certain
  3. swing — to play on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. present — there
  6. firm — steady
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — tied together
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. firm — a company
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. dip — to sink
  20. present — the time now
  21. bark — to shout
  22. present — a gift
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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