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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bass — low music
  3. rock — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rock — a stone
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — a trail

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