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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — a video
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wake — a trail
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wake — before a funeral

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