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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: club · present · lean · pitcher · bark · kick · ground · dip

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — the time now
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — a position
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ground — crushed
  14. present — a gift
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. present — there
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lean — thin
  24. bark — of a tree

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