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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: bound · shower · suit · bark · arm · fork · wind · bore

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. suit — in cards
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — certain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — rain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bound — tied together
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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