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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: snap · bat · stick · bear · deal · squash · date · bark

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. snap — to click
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. squash — the vegetable

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