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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. object — an aim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. last — final
  4. object — to protest
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — finally
  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