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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: fine · bulb · dip · bark · spell · mate · bound · shower

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spell — magic
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. shower — rain
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bound — obliged
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bulb — of a plant

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