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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. clip — a video
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — an injury

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