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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: stick · pitcher · bass · bark · game · bound · date · branch

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — the fruit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the instrument

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