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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: file · bound · stock · mate · fine · bark · track · wind

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — a path
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — goods
  10. fine — all right
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. file — a document
  14. bound — certain
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fine — high quality
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stock — shares
  24. bark — of a tree

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