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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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