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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. snap — to click
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — the season
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bank — of a river
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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