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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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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bank — for money
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. bank — of a river
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bark — to shout
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitch — a sports field

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