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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — a gift
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — in music
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. field — farmland
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. present — there
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — goods

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