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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — a list
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — of a tree

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