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

Word bank: snap · wind · bark · mug · temple · pound · date · pop

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — a weight
  5. snap — to click
  6. pop — to visit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — the fruit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mug — to rob
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mug — a face
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mug — a cup

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