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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rash — a series
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. face — to point toward
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. face — to confront
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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