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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · snap · wound · chair · deal · lie

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chair — a leader
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lie — to recline
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — to shout

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