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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — to bend
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. shower — rain
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. snap — to click
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a dance

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