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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — temperature
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cell — a phone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wound — an injury

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