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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pop — music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — soda
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — boats
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mug — a face
  19. bark — to shout
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — of the year
  24. pop — to visit

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