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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rock — music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. present — there
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a match
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — a gift
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — the time now
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — magic
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — letters
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a kind of play

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