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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · bark · face · last · foot · stem · pass · pound

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — to come from
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bark — to shout
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — finally
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. foot — part of the body

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