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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: bark · ground · wake · club · bound · land · cap · ruler

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. land — to come down
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cap — a lid

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