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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · press · pound · vault · mate · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bark — to shout
  8. press — to push
  9. kid — child
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pound — a weight

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