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

Word bank: bark · foot · hand · club · stand · bound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bound — obliged
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group

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