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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. key — for a lock
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. lean — to bend
  8. face — to point toward
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. face — to confront
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — the most important part
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — thin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lean — to rest against

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