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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — a video
  12. staff — employees
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. staff — employees

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