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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pass — a permit
  3. last — final
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — to protest
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. object — a thing
  17. rest — a break
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — an aim
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — finally

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