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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — to shout
  7. track — a path
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a song
  13. season — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — of the year
  18. object — an aim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. object — to protest
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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