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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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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: press · wind · pound · can · pitch · bark · lash · date

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. wind — moving air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bark — to shout
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pound — for dogs

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