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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — low music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lean — to bend
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lean — thin
  24. stand — to bear

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