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

Word bank: bark · ground · cell · swing · kick · object

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. object — to protest
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. swing — to play on
  6. object — a thing
  7. swing — in golf
  8. object — an aim
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. swing — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — a thrill

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