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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: bark · deal · snap · wave · chest · rock · race · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chest — of your body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rock — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. snap — to click
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. deal — to handle

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