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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — to shout
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — to push
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cell — a phone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fork — in a road
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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