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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — to wash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — the fruit
  19. object — a thing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bark — to shout
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — an aim
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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