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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rock — a stone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. club — a group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to confront
  22. club — for golf
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. straw — dry grass

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