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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. key — the most important part
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — in music
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — a trace
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bark — to shout
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — to cut

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