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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: lie · bark · snap · rash · stick · wound · spell · trunk

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to click
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — magic
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spell — letters
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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