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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · rash · roll · spring · pound · cabinet · press · kick

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — to push
  7. roll — a cake
  8. kick — in football
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — a list
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bark — to shout
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pound — for dogs

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