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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kick — in football
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cell — in biology

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