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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rock — music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. trunk — of a car

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