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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: patient · stick · calf · press · vault · bark · race · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — to push
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. race — a contest
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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