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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bark · rock · bound · mate · field · tube · kick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. field — for sport
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — the underground
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — in football
  19. tube — a container
  20. rock — music
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — certain
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bound — tied together

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