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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rock — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — a position
  12. mark — a grade
  13. shower — rain
  14. ground — crushed
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — a series
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — a tool
  24. squash — the sport

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