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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: mark · pound · last · ruler · squash · saw · spell · bark

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — final
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mark — a trace
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — letters
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — a short time
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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