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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 116 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: calf · bark · wound · swing · press · mate · pound · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pound — a weight
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. swing — music

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