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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. race — a contest
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a skill
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. craft — boats
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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