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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 120 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: bore · leaves · bark · spring · file · bound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spring — of water
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. file — a tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bore — to drill

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