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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 120 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 · wave · nail · march · bore · season · cell · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — for dogs
  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