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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · bound · file · tear · bark · plane · squash · spring

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spring — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — to rip
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — tied together

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