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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mug — a face
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stock — goods
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mug — to rob
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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