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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spell — magic
  5. board — a committee
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — a line
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fall — the season
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. row — to paddle
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — letters

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