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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: bark · land · season · tube · board · cue · bound · stock

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. land — to come down
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — of the year
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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