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

Word bank: snap · object · bark · last · date · fall · cap · ground

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. snap — to click
  7. object — a thing
  8. last — final
  9. cap — a hat
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — finally
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — an aim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — a position
  16. fall — to drop
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — to protest
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fall — the season
  24. last — to go on

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