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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: game · mine · bark · pitcher · bound · wound · fan · trunk

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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