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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. craft — boats
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — help
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cold — not warm
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hide — to keep secret

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