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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — a trail
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kid — child
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hide — to keep secret

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