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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
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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: bay · wake · mug · mine · clip · bark · race · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — humankind
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a face
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bark — to shout
  24. race — a contest

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