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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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. board — to get on
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — rain
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. board — a committee
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. degree — from a university
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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