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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lean — thin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — letters
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bark — to shout

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