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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: straw · pound · rush · bark · cap · kid · mark · sharp

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bark — to shout
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rush — hurry
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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