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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. object — to protest
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spell — magic
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — to paddle
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spell — a short time
  22. object — an aim
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spell — letters

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