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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: pound · content · cue · bark · board · fall · march · straw

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — a signal
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cue — for pool
  15. board — to get on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fall — the season
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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