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

Word bank: wave · pound · calf · race · kick · perch · ground · bark

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. race — humankind
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. race — a contest
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bark — to shout

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