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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — clever
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hand — help
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — a division

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