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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — thin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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