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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — certain
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — to come from

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