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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: clip · bark · stand · bound · date · dip · pound · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ball — a dance
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pound — a weight
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bound — certain
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bark — of a tree

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