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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 116 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: bark · club · pound · lean · bound · wave · root · clip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. root — of a word
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — for golf
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. club — a group
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — thin
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. club — for dancing

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