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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: spring · wake · bound · stock · last · bark · craft · mine

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stock — goods
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — boats
  10. last — to go on
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. last — final
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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