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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mouse — for a computer

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