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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: race · pound · toast · bark · fork · rush · hide · pitcher

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. toast — bread
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. race — humankind
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — a contest
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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