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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — thin
  4. hand — help
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rock — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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