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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — a box
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — in football
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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