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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: date · stand · firm · trunk · pound · mug · content · bark

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bark — to shout
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. firm — a company
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. firm — decided
  24. mug — a cup

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