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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.

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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: can · club · bound · mark · bear · spring · bark · snap

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. club — a group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — the season
  8. club — for golf
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to click
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — a grade

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