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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: bark · pound · wax · land · wound · stick · suit · dip

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — to come down
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — a country
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. dip — to sink
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. suit — to fit
  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