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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.

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: fan · bark · swing · ruler · bound · toast · bowl · foot

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. swing — to play on
  5. foot — a measure
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. swing — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — bread
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — the bottom

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