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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bark — to shout
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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