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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: stem · kid · fine · band · board · bark · cue · bound

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — certain
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stem — to come from
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — child
  20. bark — to shout
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cue — for pool
  24. board — a committee

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