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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lean — thin
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. club — a group
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. club — for golf

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