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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 120 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: deal · bound · bark · calf · present · row · ball · tube

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bound — certain
  3. present — a gift
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ball — a dance
  9. row — a line
  10. present — there
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bark — to shout
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — a container

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