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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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