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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — to shout
  19. land — to come down
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. land — a country

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