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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. swing — in golf
  3. net — after costs
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. root — of a word
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — in sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chip — for betting
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fall — to drop

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