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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: deal · spell · bark · land · bound · rash · hand · hide

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spell — letters
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — in cards
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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