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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: pitch · calf · fork · press · saw · pit · bark · shower

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. calf — a young animal
  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