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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 · pound · board · stock · content · file · fan · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a tool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. squash — the 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