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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. snap — to click
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a music group
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — a group
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. club — for golf
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  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