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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: lash · bound · club · bore · cabinet · bark · spring · last

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for golf
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bore — to drill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — obliged
  16. club — a group
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — the season
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bound — certain
  23. last — final
  24. bound — tied together

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