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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. club — a group
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — a division
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ball — a dance
  20. capital — money
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ball — a great time
  23. face — to point toward
  24. capital — a city

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