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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: lean · pound · bore · sharp · bark · lash · pitch · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. last — finally
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. sharp — with an edge

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