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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — to shout
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cue — for pool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cue — a hint
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lean — to bend

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