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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 120 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: bound · present · fall · bulb · mine · court · bark · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bound — certain
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. fall — the season
  20. court — of a king
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. present — there
  24. mine — for digging

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