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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — ground
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ground — the earth
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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