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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — the fruit

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