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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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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pop — to visit
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — a position
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. can — a tin
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — the tool

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