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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rule — a law
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a face
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rule — government

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