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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hand — help
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. row — a line
  18. hand — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. clip — for paper
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mug — a face
  24. bulb — for light

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