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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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