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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bark — to shout
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — a box
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — an aim
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pound — a weight
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. temple — side of the head

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