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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. present — there
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kid — child
  9. present — the time now
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — in sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kid — to tease
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — to come down
  22. net — after costs
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bound — obliged

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