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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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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: suit · bark · wake · present · game · pound · ground · leaves

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. present — there
  3. suit — to fit
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — a gift
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. wake — a trail
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bark — to shout
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pound — a weight
  24. present — the time now

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