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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: field · game · bark · cabinet · bound · present · rock · stem

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — there
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — a match
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — to come from
  15. field — farmland
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bound — certain
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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