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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — a group
  4. degree — temperature
  5. club — for golf
  6. bark — to shout
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. board — a committee
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. degree — an amount
  15. board — to get on
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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