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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: bound · bass · dip · sharp · pit · object · bark · roll

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. object — to protest
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bound — certain
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. roll — a cake
  16. object — an aim
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — the fish
  21. object — a thing
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — low music
  24. dip — to dunk

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