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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — the underground
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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