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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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468
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: snap · saw · bark · pound · suit · bass · bulb · cabinet

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bass — the fish
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — low music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pound — to hit hard

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