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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. date — the fruit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chip — to eat

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