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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · fan · cue · content · bound · bark

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — the amount
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fine — high quality
  8. content — happy
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — certain

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