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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. lean — to bend
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bark — to shout
  9. row — a line
  10. craft — a skill
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — to paddle
  13. shower — to wash
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a match
  18. club — a group
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — thin
  22. club — for golf
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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