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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: bound · fan · racket · rule · dip · shower · wave · bark

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — a law
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — government
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. shower — rain

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