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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. swing — to play on
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bound — certain
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — obliged
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mine — belonging to me

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