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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: wake · firm · present · chest · bound · trunk · bark · band

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wake — a trail
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. firm — a company
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — decided
  22. bound — certain
  23. firm — steady
  24. bark — to shout

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