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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — to go on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — finally
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. scale — size or range
  11. last — final
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — to cool the air

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