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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. object — an aim
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. race — humankind
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — the season
  23. race — a contest
  24. stem — of a plant

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