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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitch — completely
  10. board — to get on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — a country
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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