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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pass — a permit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — to shout
  13. shower — rain
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. kick — in football
  23. rock — music
  24. pass — to spend time

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