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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — a trail

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