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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — for catching
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — after costs
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — in sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rock — music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spring — of water

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