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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spell — letters
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. net — in sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a match
  23. spell — magic
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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