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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 120 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: bore · leaves · bark · spring · file · bound · temple · lie

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to drill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spring — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a document
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. file — a tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — to tire
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — gave birth

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