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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: wake · fan · bark · snap · key · foot · tear · firm

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tear — to rip
  4. firm — decided
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — in music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. key — the most important part
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — a company
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wake — a trail
  16. firm — steady
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tear — from crying
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — for a lock
  24. foot — a measure

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