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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: pound · bound · mate · trunk · bark · roll · wake · pit

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — certain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — a weight
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — in a race
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. roll — on a roll

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