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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: board · snap · leaves · kick · land · trunk · bound · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kick — in football
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — tied together
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bark — to shout
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. board — to get on
  24. leaves — to go away

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