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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 · fork · bay · bear · pop · saw · object · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fork — in a road
  19. object — an aim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. object — a thing
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fork — to eat with

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