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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. date — the fruit

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