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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 120 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: pound · current · firm · stick · bark · hand · lie · field

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — electric
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. firm — a company
  10. current — happening now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. field — for sport

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