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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fan — a supporter

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