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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. craft — boats
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — low music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tube — the underground
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spell — letters
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bark — to shout
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spell — magic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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