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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. drill — army training
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. plane — a tool
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. drill — the tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. content — happy

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