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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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468
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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. swing — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. swing — in golf
  16. row — a line
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tear — from crying
  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