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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — a path
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a song
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — a face
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — employees

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