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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. race — a contest
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — humankind
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. craft — boats
  24. key — for a lock

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