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

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — thin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — a trail
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — rain
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — to bend

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