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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a music group
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — to shout
  10. firm — decided
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. sharp — clever
  18. firm — steady
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cell — in biology
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a ring

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