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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — a line
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cap — of ice
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fork — in a road
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to dunk

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