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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. shower — rain
  8. rash — a series
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pop — music
  11. squash — to crush
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — to shout
  23. row — a line
  24. last — final

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