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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. club — for golf
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — to shout
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — a group
  16. kick — in football
  17. shower — rain
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — a position
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — the earth

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