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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. land — a country
  4. fork — in a road
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. land — ground
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a ring

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