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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 · hand · pop · wound · dip · bound · wave · ground

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pop — soda
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — certain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wave — with your hand

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