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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bark — to shout
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. spring — the season
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rash — a series
  18. craft — a skill
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. craft — boats
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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