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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — certain
  6. bass — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mark — a trace
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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