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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — thin
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — letters
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wave — of the sea

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