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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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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: arm · file · bound · pound · bark · craft · ground · snap

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — the earth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. snap — to click
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. craft — boats
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. file — a tool

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