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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lie — to recline
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a dance
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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