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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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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: pound · shower · present · bear · pitch · dip · bark · stem

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. present — there
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. present — a gift
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pound — a weight

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