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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bowl — a football final

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