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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 116 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: bound · craft · wake · bark · spring · trunk

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — a coil
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — of water
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. craft — boats
  18. spring — the season

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