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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: dip · bark · ball · shower · arm · chest · bound · bulb

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bound — obliged
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chest — a box

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