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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — the season
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mine — an explosive

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