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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: face · bear · tear · kick · pound · bark · pop · pitcher

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — in football
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tear — from crying

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