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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 · leaves · rush · land · calf · mate · bound · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mate — to breed
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mate — a friend
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bound — obliged
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — of the leg

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