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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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