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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: suit · shower · bulb · club · spring · bound · wound · bark

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. shower — rain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. suit — clothes
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spring — of water
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. club — for golf
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bark — to shout

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