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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 116 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 · last · track · bark · stick · game · bound · stock

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — certain
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — goods
  6. track — a path
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. last — final
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. track — a song
  18. stock — shares
  19. track — to keep track
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. last — finally
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. game — wild animals

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