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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: chest · club · cell · bound · land · pass · bark · arm

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — certain
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. club — for golf
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chest — a box
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. land — a country
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. land — ground

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