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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — to get on
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a ring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — final
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. last — to go on
  15. club — a group
  16. board — a committee
  17. pound — a weight
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. last — finally
  21. club — for golf
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — a flat piece

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