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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. deal — to handle
  4. net — after costs
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. board — a committee
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. board — to get on
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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