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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. board — to get on
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — to shout
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — obliged
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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