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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 116 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 · squash · pitcher · rule · cell · bark · wax · pass

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cell — a phone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rule — government
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rule — a law
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the sport

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