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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. dip — to sink
  18. land — to come down
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. firm — steady
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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