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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. snap — to click
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. squash — to crush
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hide — to keep secret

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