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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — farmland
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — an aim
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. spring — a coil

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