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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · bound · stand · bark · root · firm · perch · mine

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. firm — steady
  4. root — the cause
  5. court — of law
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. root — of a word
  13. court — for sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. firm — a company
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. firm — decided
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bound — certain
  24. perch — for a bird

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