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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fine — all right
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — a video
  10. present — a gift
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — the time now
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — there
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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