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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: can · bark · calf · date · ground · lean · pop · mate

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pop — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ground — the earth
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pop — soda

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