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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. file — a tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. file — a document
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — in football
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. file — a line of people

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