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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: bark · bound · bay · snap · chip · foot · spring · wound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — of water
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chip — for betting
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — tied together
  22. snap — to click
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. 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