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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. present — the time now
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. present — there

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