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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spell — a short time
  7. snap — to click
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cold — not warm
  16. court — of law
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cold — an illness

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