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

Word bank: content · band · board · bark · spell · fall · pound · drill

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. board — to get on
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. drill — a practice
  19. content — happy
  20. band — a ring
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. board — a committee
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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