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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — for dancing
  7. spring — the season
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — high quality
  23. club — a group
  24. hand — in cards

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