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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. object — an aim
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. clip — for paper
  15. object — to protest
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mark — a grade
  23. object — a thing
  24. chair — a leader

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