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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: bass · wave · game · craft · coach · sharp · bark · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — low music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. pound — a weight
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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