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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — certain
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a tree

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