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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · bark · bass · hide · fan · calf · snap · cold

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bass — the fish
  3. snap — to click
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mug — a cup
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — low music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mug — a face
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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