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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · pound · wind · can · cell · net

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. net — after costs
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — for catching
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — in sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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