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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. club — a group
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. club — for golf
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. club — for dancing
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. pound — a weight
  21. last — finally
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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