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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kick — in football
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. toast — bread
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. can — a tin
  24. stand — on your feet

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