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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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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: stick · lie · net · bark · pound · suit · wound · wake

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. net — in sport
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — after costs

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