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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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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: wave · staff · bark · bear · race · pound · trunk · squash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — the sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. squash — to crush
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — a contest

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