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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kick — in football
  6. kid — to tease
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — a phone
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — letters

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