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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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468
Word bank
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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to click
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. band — a music group
  13. club — for golf
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. club — for dancing

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