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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — for golf
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — after costs
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — to wash
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — in sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pitch — completely
  24. club — a group

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