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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: bark · nail · chest · lean · bound · snap · spring · toast

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — tied together
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. toast — bread
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bound — certain
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — on a finger

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