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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: pound · mug · rest · wound · bark · deal · key · content

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pound — a weight
  7. content — happy
  8. mug — to rob
  9. content — the amount
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mug — a face
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — an agreement

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