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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. roll — a cake
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. object — a thing
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wave — of the sea

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