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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — a coil
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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