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

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. bound — certain
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — the fish
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — to handle
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bound — tied together

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