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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.

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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — a loud noise

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