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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bark — of a tree

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