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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 · roll · bulb · cue · trunk · patient · game · bark

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cue — for pool
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a list
  11. bark — to shout
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — obliged
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bound — certain
  19. roll — a cake
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — for light

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