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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: pound · content · bark · nail · safe · race · march · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. race — the arms race
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. race — humankind
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — a contest
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — happy
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. march — the month
  22. content — the amount
  23. bark — to shout
  24. content — videos and posts

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