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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. drill — army training
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — in cards
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — to move gently

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