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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. game — a kind of play

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