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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to click
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cue — a hint
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. object — to protest
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — for pool

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