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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: bark · season · calf · rush · content · rash · pound · foot

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — in sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rash — a series
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rash — hasty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — happy
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — the amount

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