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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. content — the amount
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — an injury

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