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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ground — the earth
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cold — an illness
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ground — a position
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — crushed

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