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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — to shout
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. foot — a measure
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — child
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bear — the animal

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