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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 116 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 · wound · mark · bank · ground · bowl · bore · spring

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — of water
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bank — for money
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — the season

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