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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: last · bark · mug · pound · cell · perch · squash · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pound — a weight
  4. last — finally
  5. bark — to shout
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mug — a face
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mug — to rob
  21. object — a thing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. object — an aim

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