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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: hand · bark · branch · bear · wake · stand · pound · capital

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — in cards
  7. capital — money
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. branch — a division
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — to put up with

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