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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — to dunk

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