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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. can — a tin
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. dip — to sink

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