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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. drill — a practice
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — a series
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. drill — army training
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — to confront
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to click
  24. bark — of a tree

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