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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — of water
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. land — to come down
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. kick — in football
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — ground
  24. rest — what's left

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