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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.

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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: bark · leaves · fall · pop · snap · craft · foot · dip

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. craft — boats
  4. pop — music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — a measure
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pop — soda
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — to shout

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