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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pound — a weight
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — child
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spring — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — of water
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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