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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · bulb · pound · pitcher · wind · bark · key · fine

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — army training
  6. key — in music
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — a practice

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