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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: shower · spell · bound · foot · fall · kick · swing · bark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. swing — music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kick — in football
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. swing — in golf
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. foot — a measure
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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