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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spring — the season
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rock — music
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. board — a committee
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — of water
  23. board — to get on
  24. wind — moving air

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