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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 120 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: lean · bark · stem · content · lash · bound · mine · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lean — thin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — the amount
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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