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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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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: pound · kid · season · stem · bore · bark · suit · squash

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. suit — clothes
  5. kid — child
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — of the year
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. suit — to fit
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — to tease

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