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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · bowl · rash · can · snap · bark · cell

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — a series
  6. snap — to click
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — to be able to
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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