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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: sharp · firm · bark · kick · pound · craft · coach · content

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kick — in football
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. craft — a skill
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — to shout
  20. firm — decided
  21. pound — a weight
  22. firm — a company
  23. content — happy
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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