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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: mate · bark · race · trunk · bound · fan · foot · spell

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spell — magic
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — tied together
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spell — letters
  9. race — a contest
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. race — humankind
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — a supporter

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