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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.

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: stick · bound · pop · bark · field · ball · kid · rest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — a subject
  3. pop — soda
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — for sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — farmland
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — music

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