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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. roll — a list
  11. firm — steady
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. roll — a cake
  15. row — a line
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. firm — a company
  19. bear — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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