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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bulb · bowl · bear · bound · game · straw · bark · bass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. bass — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bowl — a football final
  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