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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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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: spell · bark · bear · cell · squash · bat · ground · stick

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bat — the animal

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