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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — magic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bark — to shout
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — a song
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. row — a line

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