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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · bark · game · rock · racket · bound · kid · mine

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. game — a match
  15. root — of a word
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — a stone

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