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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. wave — a sudden rise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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