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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: bark · bound · jam · wind · pound · lean · tear · present

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. present — the time now
  5. lean — thin
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to bend
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. present — there
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. present — a gift

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