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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 120 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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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: temple · mouse · kick · stem · pound · bark · chest · pitch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chest — a box
  17. kick — in football
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mouse — the animal

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