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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 120 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: kid · craft · ruler · wound · bark · bound · bear · bulb

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bark — to shout
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. craft — boats
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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