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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — help
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. snap — to click

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