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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — a measure
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cap — a hat
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. suit — to fit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. degree — temperature
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bark — to shout

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