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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: bore · bark · bound · temple · wake · march · date · tube

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bound — certain
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bound — obliged
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wake — a trail
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — a container
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. march — the month

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