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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. season — of the year
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — certain
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — tied together
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — obliged
  24. season — to add flavour

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