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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kick — in football
  11. rock — music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bark — to shout
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fork — in a road
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fork — a garden tool

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