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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ground — a position
  22. mate — a friend
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — an eyelash

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