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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a song
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fork — in a road
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pound — a weight
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — to lash out

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