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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — a video
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. clip — for paper
  6. object — an aim
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — decided
  12. plane — a tool
  13. firm — a company
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. clip — to cut
  17. capital — money
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — a thing
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — steady

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