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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. track — a song
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. track — to keep track
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — the fruit

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