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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — to protest
  12. file — a document
  13. mark — a grade
  14. object — an aim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bark — to shout
  22. object — a thing
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. staff — employees

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