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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a dance
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a great time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spring — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — of water

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