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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitch — a sports field

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