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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: bound · bark · spring · march · can · deal · fall · rock

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — a coil
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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