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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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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: tear · bound · spell · kid · bark · firm · wave · cap

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spell — letters
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — a company
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — magic
  19. tear — to rip
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. firm — decided
  24. wave — with your hand

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