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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. club — a group
  3. field — for sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. club — for golf
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — to shout
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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