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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. face — to point toward
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. object — a thing
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. object — an aim
  13. squash — to crush
  14. object — to protest
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rest — what's left
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rest — a break
  23. bark — of a tree
  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