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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 116 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 · ground · rest · pit · bound · bat · band · bulb

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. band — a music group
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — certain
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a ring
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ground — crushed

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