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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 · wind · bark · lean · stand · squash · chair · club

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. lean — to bend
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wind — moving air
  13. club — for golf
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pound — a weight

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