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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: fall · bound · mouse · hand · foot · mine · bark · mark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — the season
  8. bound — certain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — help
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — of a tree

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