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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: mug · bound · court · root · cap · wind · bark · drill

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. drill — a practice
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — moving air
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — a face

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