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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: hand · cue · bulb · bark · wound · stock · bound · wake

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bound — certain
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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