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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. present — a gift
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. present — the time now
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — a short time
  18. present — there
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — a trace
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. spell — magic

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