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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bark — to shout
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bore — to drill
  10. race — a contest
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bore — to tire
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. race — humankind

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