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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: pitch · sharp · pound · rest · patient · bark · vault · stem

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — completely
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — a weight

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