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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. land — ground
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wave — of the sea
  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