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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: deal · march · bark · bound · swing · bulb · stem · face

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — for light

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