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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: bulb · ground · present · club · bark · wound · firm · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — for golf
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — the time now
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. present — a gift
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. spring — of water
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. firm — decided
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — there
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — to shout
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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