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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. net — for catching
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. bark — to shout
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — a line
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. net — after costs
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. net — in sport

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