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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fine — high quality
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — a group
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fine — all right
  23. clip — a video
  24. hand — part of the body

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