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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — the fruit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to click
  24. stem — of a plant

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