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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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Word bank
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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: leaves · drill · date · bark · stick · snap

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — to shout
  3. date — the fruit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. drill — a practice
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — army training
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — the tool

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