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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. current — electric
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — a measure
  22. shower — rain
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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