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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — to shout
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to click
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wake — a trail
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. stem — a stem cell

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