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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — to shout
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bound — certain
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pound — to hit hard

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