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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. sharp — clever
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wind — moving air
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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