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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spell — magic
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — all right
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — to paddle

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