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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — ground
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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