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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. net — for catching
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — in sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cell — in biology
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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