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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: net · chip · ground · wind · branch · bound · bark · bowl

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bound — certain
  11. bark — to shout
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — a division
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chip — to eat
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — a football final

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