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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pit — in a race
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bear — the animal

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