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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: stand · tear · squash · branch · wind · bark · pound · bay

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. branch — a division
  17. tear — to rip
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pound — a weight
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stand — to bear

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