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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: leaves · pitcher · bark · roll · bear · vault · field · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — a subject
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. roll — a list
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — to shout
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — farmland
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. vault — a safe

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