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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fan — a supporter

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