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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chip — for betting
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chip — in a computer

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