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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ground — crushed
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — to shout
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. staff — a stick
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. staff — employees
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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