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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lean — to bend
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — a gift
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — there
  23. fall — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

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