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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — a stick
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. staff — employees
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — the fish

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